Absolute Power: The Helen Clark Years

Description

FROM THE BACK COVER:
What you are about to read will go further than anyone has gone before – digging up a Prime Minister you didn’t even know existed.

The Helen Clark we see today is a carefully manufactured, airbrushed political brand. She’s also New Zealand’s most powerful politician, ever. Absolute Power strips away the façade to find what makes the real Helen Clark tick, and explores the track record of a government that boasted it would bring a new age of “frugality and integrity”, and an end to “cronyism, sleaze and dishonesty”.

Absolute Power is not just about what happened publicly and what played out on the news each night. It is much more about what was going on behind the scenes – the power plays, the dirty tricks, the Machiavellian maneuvers. The bits the daily media missed.

Lord Acton once wrote that absolute power corrupts absolutely, and that the great “are almost always bad”. Is Helen Clark the exception to that rule? Judge for yourself in this decade’s most controversial political book…

WHAT CRITICS ARE SAYING:

“bestseller material…will enjoy it immensely” – Poneke blog

“his skills as an investigative journalist provide a fresh perspective, and a greater depth of information than what is possible in a magazine article” – Keeping Stock blog

“Wishart’s evisceration of Clark’s character is compelling, well researched and well referenced. One cannot help but ask “Where has the media been all these years?” – No Minister blog

“‘Absolute Power’ has been impressively researched and its subject superbly analysed. In my humble opinion it will endure as a standard reference on the Clark regime.” – David Lee, Wellington

And from Sir Robert Jones, 13 May 2008:

“I picked up your new book ‘Absolute Power’ by chance last week. I say ‘by chance’ insofar as it will be interesting to see whether it’s reviewed in the print media [for the record, it wasn’t] mindful of the fact that books editors are an effete and snobbish lot and your book may be deemed insufficiently boring to justify mention.

“Anyway, first my congratulations. There was only a single hyperbolic fault, specifically your reference to our Police Force as the most corrupt in the southern hemisphere. Have a look at the map. When it comes to Zaire, Zimbabwe, Paraguay et al, and sadly, Chile and Australia, it is far and away the least corrupt.

“And one other criticism on reflection, while wearing my pedant’s hat, and that is your references to animal porn films and videos. An animal porn film could be a rooster having it off with a chicken. You should have referred to bestiality films and videos.

“That said, I agree with your general thesis regarding this government’s incredible corruption. It is Third World in its moral standards and dishonesty and leaves me despairing.

“I despair because your book will make no difference. The government will simply ignore it, and largely so will the news media.

“In another age, three decades back, or indeed another first world country today, such as the USA or Britain, your book would run to endless reprints and bring down the government.

“Consider Nixon’s impeachment over a mere trifle to what you have outlined, or indeed the near-miss impeachment of Clinton over a petty sexual matter and allegations of a playing-with-words denial.

“At heart the problem lies in the depoliticisation of New Zealanders. Today they simply don’t care, as borne out by the startling revelation that circa 50% of Maoris and Islanders are unaware that this is an election year. Yet most will turn out to vote, oblivious of the issues you raise or indeed any others. People simply don’t read anymore, or at least not the majority under 40.

“Oh for a barn-storming moralist like Muldoon!

“I suppose there’s one good thing from your efforts, namely that if ignored by the general public; you nevertheless keep the bastards at bay from even greater outrages; if that is the Electoral Finance Act and theft of public money in the past two elections can be surpassed.

“Once again, well done on a great accomplishment.

Best Wishes

Bob Jones
Robt. Jones Holdings Limited